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Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

blog.jim-nielsen.com

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Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#251

Post by seany »

booty wrote: post #24

Key for me is to "group" cables. For example, I have a bag of USB-C cables, a bag of USB-A cables, etc. Grouping them is key to deduplicating. It's easy to look at a single legacy USB A-to-B "printer" cable in isolation and think "I might need this someday!" Because you really might need it someday. However, if you group them you might see that you have ten of them. And then you can get rid of... maybe 8 of them. I a…

This is rough when you have lots of weird one offs. Strange trrs->rj45 for programming a radio you still use but haven't reprogrammed in 10 years; does that go in "generic serial stuff" or "things you want to keep but haven't used in a long time" (right next to the 13w3 -> 5 wire component cable for the sparc in the other corner)

Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#253

Post by [deleted] »

MisterTea wrote: post #148
jaggederest wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proper flaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbxMyytWw60 Ziptie once coiled, attach label for what format / length. Bag cables with the same connectors. If you have more than fit in a gallon ziploc you should probably reduce them. Bonus if you hang them on a pegboard so you can see them with big clear labels on each bag. Edit: and shrinkwrapped labels on each end (e.g. 12345-USBC-2m) for double bonus points so tha…

> Ziptie once coiled, attach label for what format / length. Please god, no more zip ties. Use double sided Velcro strap. You can buy it in a roll and cut to length. Reuse it all you want. Join multiple shorter lengths to make a longer one. Just please don't make me cut another god damn zip tie off a bundled cord. I deal with enough zip tie bondage fetishists at work.

[deleted]

Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#256

Post by martinpw »

wileydragonfly wrote: post #237

Throwing all that shit in a box and spending half an hour digging through it is half the fun. Your organization systems distress me.

This post inspired me to go through my box of cables and I actually found a full HTC Vive headset with controllers in there buried several layers deep that I had completely forgotten about. I think it ended up there because it came with about a dozen cables so the cable box seemed like the natural place to dump it all.

Now I need to go through that box in detail to see what else might be lurking.

Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#257

Post by js2 »

mf2hd wrote: post #99
VariousPrograms wrote: post #37

Whoever does need it, I give you permission to throw out all your old cables, power adapters, and routers. Yes, on the off chance you do decide you need a Palm III dock, Linksys WRT54G, or Sony PSP charger that means you'd have to buy one on Ebay, but you can cross that $10 bridge if it actually happens.

No, this method does not work. I tried, got rid of all those stuff because why would I need it ever again. And of course a month later I needed that one stupid thing right there and then. And I remember throwing away... Not again, I keep at least one cable of each in a separate box to find immediately, the rest is stored, it is not asking for any money.

Yeah, what happens to me is I need a thing, go to Amazon to order it, see that I already bought it 4 years ago, spend 30 minutes trying to find it, then let out a big sigh and order it again.

Most recently: a USB to TTL serial adapter.

Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#259

Post by jnaina »

over 30 years of cable collection. rare gems include apple SCSI DB25/CN50/HD50/HD68/HDI-30 cables, apple/NeXT ADB cables, apple localtalk dongles, atari SIO cables, centronics parallel cables, din-8 serial cables, hdi-45, apple adc video cables,DB13W3 video cable, dvi-d video cable, dms-59, firewire 400 and 800 cables, ipod 30-pin cable, ega db9 to vga db15, s-video cables, optical audio toslink cables, component video cables, SCART video cables, micro-dvi/mini-dvi, harddisk IDE/PATA cables, 10base2 BNC cables, miles of rj11, trrs and RCA cables, etc.

All bagged up using ziplock bags and labelled.

Never know when I might need them again...

Re: Don't let anyone take away your big box of cables

#260

Post by tehlike »

booty wrote: post #24

Key for me is to "group" cables. For example, I have a bag of USB-C cables, a bag of USB-A cables, etc. Grouping them is key to deduplicating. It's easy to look at a single legacy USB A-to-B "printer" cable in isolation and think "I might need this someday!" Because you really might need it someday. However, if you group them you might see that you have ten of them. And then you can get rid of... maybe 8 of them. I a…

I put them into individual bags, usually group of two of the same kind e.g. USB a to c.
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